The Mass Effect and the Speed Force Vol I: the Brave and the Bold
by dark dhampir
Summary: While chasing some pirates through a modified Mass Relay, Shepard and her friends wind up in Twenty-first Century Central City. What will they do? Recruit the Commander's childhood hero, what else? Part I of II.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: _My name is Dark Dhampir, and I do not own either the _Mass Effect _franchise, nor ANY of the live-action _D.C._ series that either exist now or may possible exist in the future. I am writing this with only one goal: to bring to life a funny and entertaining idea I had that grew out of control and _needed _to be written. But, to do that, I can't be the serious writer I usually am. To honor my original vision, I must become someone else. _**

**_I must become _something _else . . ._**

* * *

**The Mass Effect and the Speed Force: Volume 1**

**The Brave and the Bold**

**Chapter 1**

_"My name is Barry Allen, and I am the Fastest Man Alive. When I was a child, I saw my mother killed by Something Impossible. My father went to prison for her murder. Then, an accident _made_ me The Impossible. To the outside world, I'm an ordinary forensic scientist, but secretly I use my speed to fight crime and find others like me, and one day, I'll find who killed my mother and get justice for my father. I am The Flash!"_

* * *

"Level out, Joker!" Shepard barked. Immediately afterwards, she gripped the rail.

"I'm trying," Jeff "Joker" Moreau replied. "But, we're surfing a hurricane here! Give a guy a little slack, won't you!"

"I'll give you a medal when this is over!" the woman screamed. "Just make sure we live to see it!"

Shepard did not need this. She had fought the Collectors, rescued colonists, and put away or killed every variety of thug on this trip. Along the way, though, she'd had to say goodbye to too many friends.

Grunt.

Jacob.

Zaeed.

Kelly.

Mornith

(O.K. that last one wasn't actually a "friend:" she was an over-powered psychopath, and if the Suicide Squad still existed, Shepard would recommend her in a heartbeat, if not _faster. _Still, she fought iwth them, and that was worth some fake sorrow and a toast in her name in bar, at least.)

All in all, Shepard had EARNED a nice, long vacation. Preferably, on a tropical beach somewhere with Liara, or maybe touring the deserts of Southern Utah with Thane and his son. Heck, she'd take a weekend watching Krogan pro-wrestling with Wrex and Garrus at this point.

Obviously, she hadn't gotten any of those things. Not even watching sweaty Krogans grapple.

Instead, some . . . Jerks? Assholes? Morons? Yes, _Morons _had decided to do a little pirating. Right. Under. Her. Freaking. Nose. So, before she could take the team back to the Citadel, she had to spend a week chasing after them because they stole a classified _something f_rom some Salarian government ship en route to the Citadel. No, Shepard _hadn't _been told what it was, except that whatever it was was _so _important that only a Spectre could retrieve it. And _who _was the only Spectre in the area: her. Of. Freaking. COURSE!

At the moment she was mentally cursing the Council for giving her this assignment, and for NOT telling her what the _something _did. Apparently, it fouled up Mass Relays, which was why the _Normandy-2_ was flaying around like . . . well, like a surfboard in a hurricane. Jane spared a moment to pray that the pirates also survived this trip-if only so she could give them the ass-kicking they all deserved.

"Shepard! The scanners are picking something up!" Miranda Lawson cried. Normally, she wouldn't be involved in the actual piloting, but they were running low on qualified crew members, and, of course, the woman literally designed to be perfect had been trained in spaceflight. "I think we're nearing the end of the corridor!"

"Hang on, everyone!" Shepard shouted into the intercom. "This is the end!" Up ahead, she could indeed see a bright light at the end of their tunnel. And, they flew strait into it . . .

* * *

"Is this . . . Earth?" Miranda asked. After exiting the Mass Relay's gravity corridor, the ship had continued to toss and spin until Joker had gotten her under control again. Now, they were drifting across the night sky, like a gull flying over the sea.

_"I am unable to verify at this time, Agent Lawson," _EDI, the AI, responded. _"My Extranet link was damaged in the corridor." _She had spent the whole of the trip in the ship's computer system, monitoring and correcting a thousand things the others couldn't. Which was why she hadn't been able to offer verbal input while they were in the corridor.

Or, maybe she just had a sense of compassion and had decided not to tell everyone how doomed they all were.

Still, it looked like they were back on Earth, or more accurately above it. Below the _Normandy-2 _was a sprawling city lit up by the glow of a thousand lights. It bordered a wide lake or bay on one side. Cars raced the streets below . . . wait.

"Why are the cars on the _ground?" _Joker asked. "It's been a while since I've never been to Earth, but last I checked, we still used sky-cars, right?"

The pilot was right; looking down Miranda could see that all the vehicles were land-bound. "Could there be some low-flying warning?" she asked. It happened occasionally, not often, mind you, more like once in every dozen or so blue moons, but it _did _happened. Shepard meanwhile . . .

"I think . . . I think that's Central City," she said.

"That was your hometown, right?" Miranda

"Yeah . . ." Shepard continued staring, wishing. Was it possible? Did they?"

"What was that?" Joker yelled.

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

The pilot was leaning as far forward as he dared in his seat, straining to see . . . whatever. "I don't know. I think it was a . . ."

"A what, Joker?" Shepard asked. Her mouth went dry.

"A glowing streak," he answered. "Or . . . a flash."

For a moment, all was silent.

"EDI . . ." Shepard whispered. "Did your monitors see what she saw?"

"Negative, Commander," the AI replied. "The _Normandy-2 _has sustained too much damage."

"Check the net!" the Spectre ordered, frantically typing on her Omnitool, hacking into the local newsfeed. Her mind was on auto-pilot. "Find out what date it is!"

"Shepard," Miranda said. "You can't believe . . . I mean . . . To think that . . ." For once, the "perfect woman" was at a loss for words.

At any other time, Shepard would have relished this moment (as it was, she'd still keep it in the back of her mind for later reference. Possibly ask EDI for footage if the internal cameras still worked). Right now, she was just staring at the date on her glowing, orange, holographic gauntlet. "Just do it," she said.

They did.

"EDI, turn on the intercom," Shepard requested.

"At once, Commander," EDI replied, sounding uncharacteristically subdued.

"Hello, everyone," the Spectre said. "Good news, is we're alive and still flying. Weird news is, we've somehow arrived back on Earth . . . Central City, in fact; my old stopping grounds. So, the other good news is that we've landed in the one place I know my way around." She paused to take a breath. "And, the last news . . . I guess this is technically bad news . . . _ah, yeah_ . . . and other weird news . . . _um . . . _We've-ah-somehow gone back in time. _Cut the feed, EDI!"_

EDI, bless her, did this before Shepard could hear the response of her crew (She could still hear an echo of their shock through the doors, but that might have been her imagination). "Joker," she said, tight-faced. "Could you land us in the Bad Lands? Out that way," she pointed, "there's some wide-open, deserted areas. Should be good enough for us."

"Sure, ma'am," the brittle-boned pilot said, too weird-out over the whole ordeal to live up to his nickname.

For about a minute.

"Hey, Shepard?" he asked.

"Yeah, Joker?" she answered.

"If we're in the early twenty-first century," he said, "and that's Central City . . . Then that, that _flash _I saw must've been . . ."

_"__Oh, _no!" Miranda groaned. "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. It can't be. It _can't _be-"

"It was the Flash," Shepard said. At that point, her brain caught up with situation, and the Spectre responded to it with her usual discipline and professionalism; she let out a noise that could have been described as either a "whoop" or a baboon's war cry, and elaborated on what she'd just said. "THAT WAS _THE FLASH! _YOU JUST SAW _THE FLASH!" _Then, she paused. Her eyes widened, and her lip quivered ever so slightly."AND I _MISSED IT!"_

* * *

**Author's Notes (Again): EXPLANATION TIME! DO NOT SKIP! THIS IS IMPORTANT!**

**This is where I explain some of the more possibly confusing bits of this fic: This story takes place an undetermined amount of time in _The Flash's _future, and ****I am writing this story under certain conditions and with certain ideas still floating in my own and the greater internet's minds. If any of this is later contradicted, I am sorry, but please try to roll with it. I am also going to be making a few tweaks to the story of _The Flash, _thus far:**

**1) Let's get the tweaks out of the way. Everything up until the episode "Rogue Time" is cannon, and so is 90% of that episode; the only thing (for now) that changes is that Barry has not yet started to suspect that Joe was right about Wells (Whom I will continue to refer to by that name, because that's the name everyone in the show's world knows him as and because I don't want to confuse him with Eddie Thawne). Personally, I thought that part was too early in the proceedings and MUCH to abrupt considering how staunchly Barry was defending Wells before. Mason's still dead, but Barry didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that Wells was responsible for it. For one thing, he still thinks the man is a paraplegic.**

**2) This fic is written under the assumption, drawn from statements made by the creators of _Arrow _and_ The Flash _and from my fellow internet geeks, that at some point both heroes, their allies, and the other heroes who, for want of a better term, "guest star" in the main two's shows will unite to form the Arrowverse's Justice League (I call trademark on that name, by the way). By "guest-stars" I mean The Atom, Firestorm, Canary, Katana, Vixen (who is getting her own online, animated series that will take place in the Arrowverse), etc.**

**3) This Fic is being written under the assumption the show creators will get their wish and the now in-the-future _Titans_ and _Supergirl _series will also take place in the Arrowverse despite one being owned by TNT, and the other belonging to Warner Brothers. Not promising all of them will show up, just saying don't count them out.**

**4) Other assumptions will be revealed as follows.**

**P.S.**

**I know that openning was a little dark. All I can say is, well . . . when was the last time you saw a comedy that didn't include _any _level of seriousness. Besides, this an adventure story, too. There have to be some stakes, or else we're not gonna care. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey all! Do NOT expect updates to come this fast in the future. I'm just kind of on a hot streak right now.**

* * *

**The Mass Effect and the Speed Force: Volume 1**

**The Brave and the Bold**

**Chapter 2**

"The Salarians were experimenting with _time travel?" _Garrus asked. Shepard had assembled the team for the most unbelievable debriefing she had ever given (considering what she'd had to discuss in the past, _that _was really saying something). Having convinced her team that the situation they were in was real, the collective mood was . . . not happy. Miranda, at least, had had the chance to acclimate herself to this idea already. Thane, Mordin, Samara, Garrus, and Tali had not.

Kasumi, Legion, and Jack were lucky, having ditched the team for "other pursuits" before the "pirate hunt" began.

The Turian swiveled in his chair. "Mordin, did you know about this?"

"No-was-under-impression-experiments-ended-and-forbidden-centuries-ago," The white Salarian protested. "Still-clearance-not-all-access. Many-things-I-didn't-know-even-even-when-working-for-government."

"It doesn't matter," Shepard said. "What I want to know is: do you think we could use whatever it was the pirates stole to send ourselves back home?" Everyone knew they'd still have to catch the bad guys; Team Shepard _never _abandoned a mission.

Besides, it wasn't like they could just let a band of space-pirates run around the past and foul it up history. That would be bad.

For once, the aged Salarian scientist didn't give a high speed answer. ". . . Possible," he said at last. "Would-probably-need-Mass-Relay-to-make-it-work-though.

"But the closest one is buried on Pluto!" Miranda exclaimed. "And if we dig it up . . ."

"We'll change history," Shepard said.

"Even if that weren't an issue," Tali said, "there's no way we could get to the Mass Relay. Garrus and I have surveyed the damage; we can barely fly in atmosphere. The ship's in no condition for spaceflight, and we don't have the parts we need to fix it ourselves."

"And it's not like we can ask anyone to do it for us," Shepard said. She looked down, defeated. How were they going to get out of this mess? Was this really how it was going to end for them? Stuck in the past, unable to return home, to see their loved ones. Helpless while the Reapers wove their insidious webs and prepared for their terrible Harvest.

Then, she got an idea . . .

Shepard looked up, grinning. It wasn't the kind of grin you get when you've figured out the punchline to a joke. It was more along the lines of what Frankenstein might have looked like when he figured out lightning could bring his sown-together mass of stolen body parts to life. The human Spectre had an idea, but no one who saw that grin thought they were going to like it—at all.

"Actually," she said. "We _can _ask for help."

"How could we do so without risking damage to the timeline?" Thane asked. Much of this went over his head—he was a trained killer, not a mechanic or a scientist, after all—but he did understand that changing history was dangerous. The future they returned to might not be as "pleasant" was the one they'd left.

"Or risk injury to ourselves," Samara asked. "Humanity has not yet learned of life on other worlds or biotics. If we were to reveal ourselves, we risk being captured and taken away for . . . experimentation."

"Pretty ironic ending for a Cerberus agent," Garrus noted, eyeing Miranda. The terrorist organization had done some sick things in its quest for power. The knowledge of this kept the agent herself from coming up with a reply.

"It's simple," Shepard replied. "We work with people who won't rat us out. People who are used to keeping secrets and dealing with problems involving aliens and human beings with . . . unusual abilities. And we work with the one man in this era who has experience traveling through time . . ."

"There is such a person in this world?" Samara asked, more curious than doubtful.

"Wait," Miranda said. "Shepard—you can't mean—"

"Yes," Shepard said. "Back your bags, folks, we're headed to S.T.A.R. Labs—and the Flash!"

* * *

"What was that?" Barry Allen asked his friends. The CSI was standing in what was once the control room of the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator. Beside him was a Latino man with shoulder-length hair and a _Next Generations _T-shirt, a brown-haired Caucasian woman wearing a plain shirt and skirt, and a wheelchair-bound man with glasses. They were Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, and Harrison Wells, the only remaining members of the once-renown S.T.A.R. Labs team and Barry's friends/health care providers. At least, that was what they were to the outside world.

Secretly, they were the guardian angels of Central City, and occasionally the world at large. Sometimes, this role pitted them against the city's mundane but tenacious criminal element. Often, however, it was something not so mundane.

Dr. Wells was the one who answered. "A few minutes ago, there was an explosion in the sky above Central City. The energies it released . . . unquantifiable"

"Like the Particle Accelerator?" Barry asked, concerned. That night-several years ago, now-had changed the lives of everyone in Central City and the world. Barry's more than most.

It was the night the impossible was born.

"No," Caitlin said. "Thankfully, the explosion occurred in the upper atmosphere. It disabled a couple of satellites, but any dark matter it released should pass harmlessly through the atmosphere. It won't even damage the Ozone Layer."

"Anymore," Cisco added.

"OK," Barry replied. "So, no new Metahumans; that's a relief. Do we know what caused it or . . ."

"Unfortunately, no," Dr. Wells replied. "However, we do know that two objects entered Central City's airspace shortly after the explosion . . ."

"The satellites?" Barry asked.

"No," Cisco said. "These were too big, and the satellites Caitlin mentioned stopped transmitting; they're not coming down anytime soon. I'm trying to hack into security feeds or anything else that might give us an image of what these . . . _things _are." The engineer was scowling at his computer screen as he spoke. His typing quick and forceful.

"No satellites means no satellite images," Caitlin explained. Barry smirked. Cisco was a little obsessed with technology, even for a member of team of—as Barry had once called them—"Ubernerds."

Cisco finally stopped typing. "That's no satellite."

"Cisco?" Caitlin asked. "What is i . . ."

The team huddled around his computer screen. It displayed a few seconds of video, but those few pictures were worth at least a million words. A large vehicle, unlike any known aircraft, was floating over the Central City harbor.

"What is that?" Barry asked.

"Could it be some secret, experimental, military _thing?" _Caitlin asked.

"Possibly," Dr. Wells said, his voice tight—he _recognized _that design—"But, I don't think it's from this world at all."

"Aliens?" Cisco inquired.

". . . Again?" Caitlin asked.

* * *

**Author's Note: Remember, this is sometime in _The Flash's _future: Caitlin and the others know about aliens and have at the very least met or heard of Supergirl. Some of you may be wondering how this doesn't contradict the history Samara just described, or what my excuse is for Metahumans not showing up in the _Mass Effect_ universe. Or why Shepard is either eager to meet Wells or else doesn't know who he is. I'll answer those questions in the next chapter or two.**

**Pop Culture References:**

**"The night the impossible was born."-General Eiling says this to Wells in the stinger of "Plastique."**

**"Ubernerds."- Barry referred to himself, Cisco, and Caitlin by this term when the three discussed their shared history of being bullied in elementary school. in the episode "The Flash is Born." (a personal favorite).**

**"That's no satellite."-A reference to _Star Wars. _I saw "Tricksters," Mark Harmill was awesome, (he's kind of like the animated Joker he voiced for years, at least the one from _Batman the Animated Series._ Crazy, but still mostly interested in making a quick buck whilst stroking his own ego) I _had _to include that reference.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaaaack! Sorry this took so long. I had another story, I'm prepping for grad school, and I have other stuff to do. And, I'm chronically lazy. Hopefully, the length will make up for it. Only bad thing is I'm now very out of date with the show. Skip ahead to the notes at the end for explanations/excuses! Don't worry if you haven't seen the last episodes of the season yet (but, you SHOULD! They're awesome!)**

* * *

**The Mass Effect and the Speed Force: Volume 1**

**The Brave and the Bold**

**Chapter 3**

"Shepard . . . how did you talk us into this?" Miranda asked.

"I'm just surprised it's actually working," Garrus said.

"What's wrong with my idea?" Shepard asked. "Garrus, Thane, and Tali can walk around freely, without attracting undue attention."

"Aside from the fact that they look like they've all stepped off the set of a Film Noir movie," the other woman replied.

"Funny, I always thought you'd be a fan of classic movies," Shepard responded. Her plan was, in her own opinion, genius in simplicity. While she was wearing her N-7 sweats, and Miranda had dawned a woman's business suite (neither of which had changed _too _much over a hundred years), their three alien friends were all wearing trench coats and fedoras to disguise their . . . well, _alien_ features. In the pre-dawn light, the shadows were dark enough to hide what the clothes couldn't. Getting the outfits was easier said than done, of course, but no plan is perfect.

"Shepard," Tali said. "This plan is . . . workable for me and Thane, but I'm not too sure about Garrus."

"What she means is, you can't throw a coat over a Turian and expect him to look like anything other than a Turian," Garrus said. The vigilante was right; the exoskeleton of his species made his torso oddly shaped in comparison to the rest of his body. While his arms and legs were safely hidden in the coat, his head still looked tiny by comparison. He was keeping it ducked low in order to avoid being seen. Even in bad light, and with the hat, there wasn't much you could do to disguise green skin, head frills, and a beak that opened three ways.

"Just trust human nature," Shepard said. "We tend to think in terms of the simplest solutions. People will likely assume you're just a fat guy in a coat—possibly a member of some organized crime outfit, given how you're slouching your head—but an _alien? _Not likely.

"Thanks, Shepard," the Turian groaned. "That makes me feel _much _better.

"Still," Tali said. "Was it really necessary to bring all four of us? Even with these 'disguises,' we still stick out."

"Of course it was," Shepard replied. "Your presence will help convince them that what we'll be telling them is real. Besides, you and Garrus know more about Mass Effect technology than anyone else on the ship."

And that was the truth, although not the whole truth. Shepard had wanted to bring all her friends, but Joker's condition made traveling too dangerous, and they'd only managed to find enough clothes to disguise three out of the five Extra-Terrestrials. Mordin and Samara had volunteered to remain behind on the ship. Mordin did so, because he was too tall and thin for the coats and his head too oddly shaped for a hat. Samara had argued that she would be more useful on the ship; lacking the technical knowledge of Tali and Garrus and the stealth of Thane, the Justicar reasoned she was the best choice to guard the helpless _Normandy 2 _and her not-much-better-off crew.

Besides, her head-frills stuck out as much as Garrus' did.

"Considering what you just said, that's not saying much," Garrus groused.

"Here we are!" Shepard proclaimed. "S.T.A.R. Labs! Home of the Flash!"

The group took in the massive structure. Shepard felt her heart rise; it had been so long since she'd been here, and yet, it made the same impression it always did. The three pyres sticking out of the enormous hub, the sheer _size _of it, the greater sense that this was something _more _than what it looked like . . .

"It looks like a dump," Miranda said.

She wasn't that far off. One of the pyres looked like someone had taken a bite out of it, and the hub was charred at the top. The whole place looked like it had survived being bombed out. The chain-link fence with various official warnings to the effect of "KEEP OUT" did nothing to help the image.

"A clever disguise," Shepard replied. "Come on," she said, using a small warp to break the lock on the gate. "Let's meet Team Flash."

* * *

Guys, we've got company!" Cisco announced.

"Intruders?" Caitlyn asked.

"Maybe." Cisco said. He typed a few keys on the computer. "They're in the elevator." The team gathered around him to examine the screen.

"That . . . doesn't look intimidating at all," Barry said.

"The Ninja Turtles are invading," Cisco said. Eyeing the woman in the suit, "And they've brought their lawyer."

"Why are they here?" Caitlyn asked. "Who are they, and what do they want with us?"

"Oh, no," Dr. Wells whispered.

"Dr. Wells?" Barry asked. His mentor was staring at the screen, eyes wide.

"This-this is dangerous," the wheelchair-bound scientist said. "Caitlyn's right, we have no idea who these people are, but we must presume them dangerous."

Barry nodded. "I'll handle them."

"No!"

Everyone turned to the normally reserved Dr. Wells. "We shouldn't provoke them—nor should we let them know that you are here. Take your suit," he pointed to the red garment resting on a mannequin in an alcove across from them. "And watch them—_just _watch, Barry."

"What's gotten into you?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah, if you were anymore paranoid, I'd have to call you Jack D. Ripper," Cisco remarked. When the others looked at him, he asked "Come on! _Dr. Strangelove? _Doesn't anyone watch movies _other than me?"_

"You can educate us another time, Cisco," Wells replied. "These people . . . _may _have something to do with the disturbance we were discussing. It's too much of a coincidence that they're showing up the morning after such an event."

"Do you think they're from A.R.G.U.S.?" Caitlyn asked, examining the figures on the screen more closely. The team had no love of the top-secret government agency. Or the people who worked for it, like Amanda Waller and General Wade Eiling.

"Seems a little low-key for Eiling," Cisco remarked.

"It doesn't' matter," Wells said. "We need to be careful."

Barry nodded. "All right."

_Zoom!_

The hero raced over to his suit, dawned it, and raced out into the hallways of the lab, in under five seconds, bolts of yellow lightning streaking behind him.

"Maybe it's just me," Cisco said, batting down one of the papers his friend had accidently sent flying in his wake, "but I'm not sure Barry is really good at stealth."

"Yeah," Caitlin agreed with a wince.

Neither noticed Dr. Wells staring intently at the screen once more. _What is SHE doing here? _He thought. _And how much does she know?_

* * *

"And _this" _Shepard proudly proclaimed. "Was the cage that held Gorilla Grodd prior to the Particle Accelerator's explosion, when he was—"

"_Shepard!" _Miranda hissed. The Spectre was standing in front of a mangled cage. It was big enough to hold a gorilla, while still allowing the large animal room to play, and there was indeed a label on it which read "GRODD."

And Shepard was holding her arms out like a carnie-barker.

"What?" Shepard asked. "Come on! Even _you _can't deny how awesome this is!"

"And even _you _should know you're violating one of the Alliance's most closely-guarded secrets," the Cerberus agent hissed.

"Still don't trust my friends, huh?" Shepard asked. "It doesn't matter, there's no way we can recruit the Flash and his team without letting _that _big, bad cat out of the bag."

* * *

"They know about Grodd?" Caitlyn asked.

"No way," Cisco said.

"They don't," Dr. Wells said. "The two women do. The others are clearly oblivious to what's going on."

* * *

"Shepard," Garrus asked. "What are you two talking about? And what does an Earth primate have to do with anything?"

"I admit, I am curious as well," Thane asked. His concern was more . . . personal, however. He hadn't known Shepard long, but he felt he understood her well. He had seen her threaten men, fought alongside her, been her counsel and confidant in the face of impossible obstacles, and—occasionally—watched her relax among friends. Even so, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen the woman so . . . chipper.

He didn't know she could _be _chipper.

"This is an important piece of Earth history!" Shepard announced. She continued walking. She continued in a much more subdued voice (one which, coincidentally, was too quiet for the surveillance system to pick up). "My history."

* * *

"Why can't we hear them?" Caitlyn asked.

"She—Shepard—must be speaking to quietly for the mikes to pick up," Cisco said.

"Why can't they pick it up?" Cailyn asked. "The technology in this building is worth _billions_ of dollars, why is our security system so cheap?"

"Most of the money was originally gifted to us for use on the Particle Accelerator," Dr. Wells explained. "The security budget was . . . smaller. We had to make some decisions regarding resource allocation. Internal security was little more than an afterthought anyway. It's not like anyone could carry off the accelerator."

"I thought Eiling was funding your research on Grodd," the geneticist said. "Doesn't the Army care about security?"

"Eiling, as you know, is a man with a great many secrets," Dr. Wells replied. "He wasn't interested in risking those secrets come to light."

"Yeah," Cisco said. "I'm pretty sure even the Army couldn't protect him if The Humane Society found out what he was doing to the big ape."

"Agreed," Dr. Wells replied. In truth, the good doctor had always been more concerned about his own secrets than Eiling's. Hence, why he had allowed the systems to stay so lax after expelling the general from the premises.

"PETA's scarier," Dr. Snow said.

* * *

"My history." Shepard continued. "In 2100, this building . . . one day it'll be a museum dedicated to Central City's greatest hero—to _humanity's _greatest hero." She rubbed her hand lovingly along the wall. "I practically grew up in this building."

"I guess that explains how you know you're way around," Tali remarked, equally quiet. Everyone's voice dropped. Without saying a word, they all agreed that it was appropriate, given their leader's mood. However, they also simultaneously agreed to disagree with their leader about one thing; humanity's greatest hero was Commander Shepard, not this "Flash" guy.

(Not that Miranda would admit it out-loud, of course. She'd rather fight a Vorcha barehanded.)

"So," the Quarian asked, as the group approached a fork in the tunnel. "Which way do we go?"

"It's been awhile," the red-headed SPECTRE replied. She pointed to the right, "But, I'm pretty sure _that _way leads to the Pipeline. _That _way," she pointed left. "Leads to the Cortex."

"Pipeline?" Garrus asked.

"Formerly the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator. Refurbished as Team Flash's Metahuman prison.

"There's a prison here?" Thane asked, remembering their trip to _The Purgatory_ space penitentiary.

"What's a Metahuman?" Garrus asked, more concerned with the ever-growing weirdness of this day. Nothing was ever simple anymore. Not on a mission _this_ woman led.

* * *

"They know about the Pipeline!" Cisco shouted. "How? How do they know about the Pipeline?"

"Maybe they worked with Eiling," Caitlyn suggested. "Or A.R.G.U.S.?" She frowned a moment. "Which one do you think is worse?"

"Both," Cisco replied. "Definitely both."

"Guys," Barry's voice came over the radio. "What should I do?"

"Barry!" Wells shouted. "Do _not _let them hear you."

"It's O.K.," Barry said. "I'm being quiet—" the mic suddenly went dead.

"Barry?" Caitlin asked. "Barry!"

_Zoom!_

"Sorry," Barry said, bursting in, making everyone jump. "They're definitely coming here. What should I do?"

"Why don't you just beat 'em up?"

"Cisco!" Caitlyn admonished.

"What?" the physicist asked. "They already know about the Pipeline. Why not give them the grand tour?"

"We can't just throw everyone we don't like in a cell!"

"She's right, Cisco," Barry said. "They haven't really done anything. Nothing that deserves being locked away for."

"Besides, we don't know what they want or what they're capable of," Dr. Wells said. "Barry, go hide in training room."

"Are you sure?" Barry asked.

"I'd rather they didn't know you're here," Wells answered. "Besides, if things go wrong, having the element of surprise on our side certainly wouldn't be a bad thing."

Although, how things could go anyway other than "wrong" and what Barry could do to fix it was beyond even Wells' incredible intellect.

* * *

"Shepard!"

"What?" the commander asked. "Like I said, they're about to find out anyway." Turning to her friends, she explained. "'Metahuman' is a term used to describe human beings who have been changed, dramatically changed—by odd, little-understood elements. Usually, giving them special abilities as a result."

"Like Element Zero?" Thane asked. "That sounds like Biotics."

Shepard nodded. "Biotics are considered Metahumans, but they're not the only ones."

"Shepard . . ." Miranda growled.

"Did she just growl at you?" Tali asked.

"Too bad Wrex isn't here to see it," Garrus mused. "So, Shepard . . . I don't want to sound like the wise guy—"

"Buuuuuuuuut," Shepard said. Or, sang.

That threw Garrus for a loop for a few moments, until he remembered what he wanted to ask. No one else complained because, well, no one else recovered faster than he did. Behind her helmet, Tali was doing a good impression of a fish. Miranda, meanwhile was showing that her eyebrows were designed to make the perfect sarcastic arch. Thane almost tripped, which was not something that alien ninjas do very often.

"Ah, _but" _Garrus said. "As I understand it, humanity hadn't even heard of Biotics before they found the Prothean ruins on . . . the red planet."

"Mars," Shepard offered. "Yes, but we all know that just because something went unrecorded doesn't mean it didn't happen." The Reapers, for example. "Besides, Biotics aren't the _only _Metahumans, or even the most interesting."

"There are . . . others?" Tali asked. Other people with special abilities, and Biotics were _boring _by comparison. Granted, special powers weren't unheard of: Asari melding, Prothean, psychometry, even a Krogan's redundant organs. But, those were well-documented. What Shepard was talking about was . . .

"Oh, yeah," Shepard said. "Although, I'd prefer it if you kept that to yourself. I'm kind of spilling the beans on Earth's biggest secret right now."

"But, why keep so much of your world's history secret?" Thane asked. "I'd understand if it was for military application, but if you allowed access to this place as a child. . ."

"Basically, we didn't want to end up like the Quarians," the Commander answered.

"What?" Tali asked.

The woman sighed. "Tali, your people lost their embassy, lost all acceptance and respect in Citadel-based society, because of an _accident. _Your people didn't set out to create the Geth; you lost your home to them," well, technically, the Quarians lost their home to their own attempted genocide against their creations who hadn't committed any crime against them, but now really wasn't the time to bring that up, "but the Council punished you for it anyway. _Severely _punished you. We didn't want the same happening to us."

"It doesn't help that—when we joined the Citadel—we were recovering from a war we were forced into for breaking a law we didn't know about beforehand," Miranda added. There was a sarcastic edge in her voice as she spoke.

"_Lawson," _Shepard growled.

"It's all right, Shepard," Garrus said. "Most Turians from my generation—even the ones who don't respect humanity—think the Hierarchy was out of line, at least in the beginning."

"And after the beginning?" Miranda asked.

"Like I said, some don't like humans very much," Garrus said.

"Regardless," Sheaprd continued. "We were fairly certain Metahumans would be seen as a violation of the Council's laws against genetic manipulation. Granted most Metahumans got their powers by accident or were descended from folks who did, but . . ."

"But, the Council doesn't care about accidents," Tali said. She understood; having met Legion and come to understand the Geth better, she no longer blamed the digital life forms for all the ills modern Quarians suffered. She _did _however, still resent the Council for its heavy-handed actions against her people. A people who'd just lost their homes and most of their population to a race who—she'd checked the records—had almost immediately shown themselves to be sedentary and defensive in nature (i.e. the Geth stayed in former Quarian space and only attacked when they felt threatened). The young Quarian could easily see how the pioneering humanity could view Citadel space with distrust.

"It doesn't," Shepard agreed, frowning. She opened her mouth to say something, but didn't. "Oh, well," she said, her smile returning. She led the team through an open door into a lit room. "Here we are: S.T.A.R. Labs' Cortex!"

"Come on in. Make yourselves at home," A tan-skinned man with shoulder-length hair snarked as he saw the strangely dressed ensemble enter the room.

"_Gasp! _You're Cisco Ramon!" Shepard cried, her eyes going wide. She turned around and saw the others, "and Caitlyn Snow! And . . . _Harrison Wells!"_

* * *

"Does anyone else feel like a movie star?" Cisco asked. Granted, he was feeling more like a stalker victim, but movie stars probably felt that way too.

"Always a pleasure to meet someone whose happy to see me," the wheelchair-bound physicist replied. "However, I'm afraid you have us at something of a disadvantage Ms. Shepard."

"How did you know that name?" The dark-haired woman asked. While Shepard's eyes bugged out—a clear indication that she was surprised—this one (Miranda, the others had called her)'s eyes were tight, carefully examining Wells. Assessing the threat-level the paralyzed man posed, no doubt.

"You told us," Cisco said. When the group turned to look at him, he explained. "There are cameras in the hallway."

"Dang, forgot about those," Shepard muttered.

"Cisco!" Caitlyn hissed. "Do you mind _not _telling the intruders all our secrets?"

". . . Oops?" the Latino offered.

"It's all right, Caitlyn," Wells said. "Perhaps, it would be better if we were honest with each other."

"Good idea," Shepard said. "Where's the Flash?"

"What . . . makes you think he's here?" Cisco asked. So much for being honest with each other.

"Because I know my Flash!" Shepard declared. Caitlyn noticed the ones in trench coats shuffle like they were embarrassed by the woman, much like Miranda, who was burying her face in her hand, clearly was. Looking at Cisco, she and her fellow scientist had a conversation without words.

Caitlyn arched her eyebrow and nodded her head toward Shepard. _"Who is this woman?" _Caitlyn asked.

Cisco shrugged. _"I don't know!" _he replied.

"That's . . . that's very nice," Dr. Wells replied. He was now fighting the urge to start tapping his feet. That would be bad . . .

"Oh, Flash!" Shepard called out. "Where are you?"

"Ah, Shepard," the big one in the trench coat said, "are you . . . sure the, ah, 'Flash' is here?"

"Oh, he's here, all right!" Shepard said. "Barry! Barry Allen!"

"Wait," Cisco said. "What?"

_Zoom!_

"How'd you know my name?"

Everyone turned to see Barry in his Flash suit in the doorway. The big one and the skinny one in trench coats both jumped. The third one went into a martial arts pose (with a glowing blue arm?), and Miranda looked like she was watching her nightmares come true. And, Shepard . . .

"It's . . . you!" she whispered. Then, she fainted.

* * *

**Author's Notes: CLIFFHANGER! Seriously, though, how much more do you want from one chapter? Hopefully, things didn't get too weird with Shepard, but part of the joke of this story-to me, at least-is watching this bad-ass war hero turn into a complete fan girl. Anyway, I promised you explanations for the discrepancies between my fic and the show.**

**First off, presume most of the major story beats from the show have happened, but with everyone still convinced Wells is a good guy. Everyman, Deathbolt, even Grodd. The only possible exception is, "Rogue Air." I haven't made up my mind about whether or not all the bad guys are still in the Pipeline. Or, who got out and who got recaptured. Or, how they got out in the first place. Whatever. Ignore that for now. **

**Also, SPOILER WARNING FOR THIS STORY'S SEQUEL! There is NO Green Lantern Corps. in this universe! I know one of you is remembering that line from "Rogue Air," and wondering if the Lanterns will show up later. Short answer: no. Maybe an individual, Alan Scott-type will, but not the whole Corps. Why? Because the Reapers are the sort of thing the Green Lanterns (and the rest) were founded to deal with. If the Green Lantern Corps. existed in the _Mass Effect_ universe, they'd have already encountered the Reapers (the Corps.'s been active basically since the Dawn of Time), and probably would have waged war on them and wiped the robo-squids out. Certainly, they wouldn't have sat through the events of the first two games just letting the galaxy fend for itself. So, no universal police force. Sorry. END SPOILER WARNING!**

**Finally, keep in mind, I started this fic before the episode, "Fast Enough," aired. I wrote this presuming Wells would share Eobard Thawne's back story from the comics. And, in the comics, Eobard comes from the _Twenty-Fifth _Century, not the Twenty-Second. I can only guess the writers changed it because they thought Wells would be too scientifically advanced if he was from that far in the future, or it would have interfered with the story they wanted to tell in _Legends of Tomorrow _(which, by the way, I am SO pumped for! Have you seen the trailer yet? I love the Arrowverse). Moving forward, I'm also going to be using certain other aspects of Comic-Thawne's history in Show-Wells'. Especially, as we probably won't be getting much information from the man himself for another few years (Oh, come on! You know he's coming back! There's a zillion unanswered questions about this guy! Not to mention he was the best-written and one of the best-acted villains on the show! He. Is. Coming. Back. It's just a matter of time. Yeah, I went there.).**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Lucy, I'm home! Hey all! Back again! Tonight, I bring you this chapter of The Mass Effect and the Speed Force with the help of my new Beta, Mr. Stark357! Yes, I have a Beta now! If anyone wants to make fanart for this story, please feel free to PM me or say so in a review. Well, you can anyway, but I'm pretty sure everyone'd rather hear about it to know it's out there.**

**IMPORTANT! There's a paragraph in this chapter may get a little confusing, so I have to explain it here. Basically, History changed more than Wells/Thawne intended when he traveled back in time. As far as I could tell, in the show, Wells never seemed to know anything about Ronnie and Professor Stein becoming Firestorm and the Burning Man always seemed to throw him for as much of a loop as anyone else, so I believe the composite Metahuman did not exist in the original timeline. I should probably say upfront that one of the things I love about _The Flash _is that it fixes what to me has always been an annoying metaphysical issue with time travel: does free will exist when you can discover your own future? In the show, Time and History are malleable, so I believe the answer is "yes, free will does exist."  
**

* * *

**The Mass Effect and the Speed Force: Volume I**

**The Brave and the Bold**

**Chapter 4**

**_"Good evening, Doctor Wells," _**the holographic face said.

"I wish it was, Gideon," Wells replied. He had removed his glasses—and his wheel chair. Contrary to what his friends thought, Harrison Wells was not paraplegic. Or rather, Harrison Wells was paralyzed, but Eobard Thawne was quite capable of walking on his own two legs.

**_"Has something happened, Doctor?" _**Gideon asked. The advanced artificial intelligence had long served as Eobard's adviser and the closest thing he had to a confidant.

"History has changed, Gideon, in ways I hadn't planned. Ways I haven't even considered." Eobard knew messing with the past was dangerous; he himself had travelled back from the Twenty-Fifth Century and had more changes than he was comfortable with. Some of them were necessary, of course, such as arranging for the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator designed by the real Harrison Wells and his wife, Tessa, to be built six years ahead of schedule. The result of this change was that Barry Allen acquired the power of the Speed Force earlier than he had in Wells' original history. However, there was no shortage of changes that the time-traveler wasn't prepared for. Six founding members of the Justice League: Ralph Dibny, Al Rothstein, Grant Emmerson, Will Everett, Bea da Costa—Elongated Man, Atom Smasher, Damage, Amazing Man, Fire. Then, people who _should _have become Metahumans didn't; Caitlyn Snow was, in all likelihood, never going to become Killer Frost. And, to top it all off, new Metahumans he had never heard of had arisen. Metahumans like Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein: Firestorm.

"Gideon, show me the future." Immediately, the holographic face was replaced with a newspaper front-page. It had a picture of the Flash and the headline, **"FLASH DISAPEARS IN CRISIS." **"At least that remains," Eobard murmured. "But, it isn't what I need. Gideon, what do your records say in regard to Commander Jane Shepard?"

**_"Commander Jane Shepard of the VSS _****Normandy. _Hero of the Reaper War. "'Father' of—"_**

"Good," Eobard said, cutting her off. "There may be a way to salvage this. Do the records say anything about Shepard and time-travel?"

**_"No," _**Gideon replied. **_"However, as a Spectre, much of Commander Shepard's activities were classified."_**

"I thought those records were declassified on the two-hundredth anniversary of her victory over the Reapers," Eobard remarked.

**_"Officially, yes, but there is some evidence that not all of her activities on behalf of the Systems' Alliance and the Citadel Council were filed with the others or even recorded. There is much speculation about how much of her career remains unknown."_**

Travelling back in time, introducing Extra Terrestrials to the idea of Metahumans and Superheroes at least a _century _before they should . . . Eobard wanted to scream. He wanted to rage. He wanted to lash out at the world around him and make _someone _pay for his troubles. Unfortunately, he had long since learned that changing his past was an invitation for disaster. Now was the time for calm, patience, planning . . .

* * *

EARLIER THAT DAY

"SHEPARD!" the assembled team of time travelers yelled. They immediately swarmed around her, checking her.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Is it something I said?" Barry—surprising no one who knew him—immediately began apologizing.

"Everyone calm down!" Caitlyn yelled. Normally a very reserved woman, she nevertheless had a very impressive pair of lungs. "Everyone calm down and stand back so I can examine her."

"Why should we?" the female trench-coat-wearer asked through her electronic voice.

Caitlyn met the other woman's stare. "Because I'm a doctor. Are you?"

" . . . _Bosh-tet." _ Caitlyn was fairly certain she'd just been insulted, but the other group was backing away allowing her access to her patient. She checked the pulse, carefully examined the woman's head, and shone a penlight into her eyes. When she did so, the woman began to stir.

"Ow. That's the last time I . . ." Shepard trailed off as the reality of her situation returned to her. "Wow. Did I faint? Did I really faint?"

"You did," Miranda said, frowning. "Gave everyone here a few moments of concern."

"Are you feeling all right?" Caitlyn asked. "Any nausea or dizziness?"

"No," she answered. "I'm fine. I'm just . . . This is real?"

"Um, yes?" Cisco made it sound like a question.

"All right." Shepard stood up. "You're him?" she asked Barry. "You're Barry Allen, The Flash?"

"Um, yes?" The superhero had trouble maintain a straight face when a woman was staring at him like Cisco did when he was describing a new Metahuman or alien.

"Barry!" Caitlyn chastised. "Does the phrase 'secret identity' mean _anything _to you?"

"I can't help it; I'm not a good liar!" Barry explained.

"Maybe we should get Mr. Queen to give you lessons," Dr. Wells suggested.

"I don't think Joe would go for it," Barry said.

"Queen, as in Oliver Queen?" Shepard asked. "Green Arrow? The Arrow? The Hood? Starling City's Robin Hood?"

"Your name wouldn't happen to be 'Shepard Smoak,' would it?" Cisco asked. "Or 'Shepard Palmer?'"

"She isn't related to either of them," Miranda said, cutting off Shepard before she could possibly say something that might upset the timeline (like jabbering on about Felicity Smoak and/or Ray Palmer's histories/futures).

"Unfortunately," Shepard said. "My ancestors were all just _normal _Central City residents, being saved by Barry or other Justice League members was the closest any of them came to being superheroes."

Up until now, Garrus, Tali, and Thane had been keeping quiet. They had no clue what was going on and they knew it. But, there are some things that are just too _out there _to go uncommented upon. "Ah, Shepard," Garrus remarked. "Did you just say . . . 'superheroes?'"

"I swear I've heard that name somewhere before," Tali said. Having spent most of her life on the Flotilla, she (like most Quarians) had little knowledge of artistic or pop cultural trends of the modern galaxy.

"I believe they are a type of character often portrayed in human comics and vids," Thane remarked. "Generally distinguished by colorful outfits and inexplicable abilities."

"They are now—uh, then," Shepard said, grinning. "But, they're real, too. Just like cowboys or pirates."

"Wait, did he say 'human?'" Caitlyn asked (ignoring Tali's "What the _keela_ is a cowboy?")

"You're aliens!" Cisco said. "I knew it. I knew it; you're from space!"

"Uh, that's ridiculous . . . whoever you are," Garrus said, shuffling and trying to sound intimidating. It usually worked better when he had a gun, and some vague clue what Shepard's plan was.

"Right . . . aliens don't exist," Tali said. Shepard had said they could trust these people, but the Quarian thought things were moving a little too fast.

"Uh, we've worked with Supergirl and Starfire," Cisco said. "We know about aliens."

"What about Raven?" Caitlyn asked. "Isn't she half alien?"

"Her father's an interdimensional demon," the engineer pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's not from Earth," the geneticist countered.

"What . . . are you people . . . talking about?" Garrus asked, sounding like a normal guy who'd stumbled into Comic-Con.

"Perhaps it would be better if we explained ourselves to each other?" Dr. Wells suggested. He was toying with a small cube in his hands.

"Good idea," Shepard said. "My name is Jane Shepard, first Human Spectre of the Citadel Alliance, circa 2183." She smiled. "My friends and I are from the future."

"No way," Cisco said, not sounding at all like he doubted her. The huge grin spreading on his face didn't help.

"Time travel, great," Caitlyn groaned.

"You've experienced this phenomenon before?" Thane asked.

"I traveled back a day once before," Barry explained. "Ended up changing it a _lot _more than I thought I would."

"You _changed _history?" Tali asked.

"Yeah," Barry said. "A lot. I mean, first, this guy cripples my captain, then he kidnaps Joe—my guardian—

"Joe West?" Shepard asked. "Father of Iris West, I believe."

"Yes, I—never mind—He kidnapped Joe and made me and Iris—his daughter—come and find him, and when we get there this guy creates a tidal wave big enough to take out the city!"

"No way," Garrus said. "I know you made that up."

Miranda looked thoughtful. "Not if the man Mr. Allen's talking about was Mark Mardon—"

"Weather Wizard!" Shepard explained.

"Awesome!" Cisco said. Everyone looked at him. "I came up with that name."

"He did," Caitlyn said.

Barry continued. "Anyway, I had to run really, really fast up and down the coast to create this wall of wind that would theoretically block the wave."

"Well, it looks like it worked," Garrus said.

"Actually, it didn't," Barry explained. "I ended up—somehow ripping a hole in time and I ran back to the night before all that stuff happened."

"You . . . _accidentally _traveled back in time?" Tali asked.

"By running?" Garrus added.

"That is so cool," Shepard said. "And, you changed it. You changed the day, didn't you?"

Barry scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I did. The problem is other stuff happened. I caught Mardon in the place I knew he was hiding out, but—because I did that—Cisco went to his brother's birthday party."

"I believe most humans would consider that a pleasant change of events," Thane remarked. Drell didn't celebrate yearly birthdays, but he had been around a number of species who did.

"So, I'm different from most people, what else is new?" Cisco mused. When everyone looked at him, he took up the story. "My brother and I went to a bar, and I went home with this blond girl, who turned out to be a brunette, and really, really bad."

"How bad?" Miranda asked, casually tossing her dark hair. Her tone suggested she was amused.

"Well, if you know about Weather Wizard, you probably know about Leonard and Lisa Snart and Mick Rory," Cisco said.

"Captain Cold, Golden Glider, and Heatwave," Shepard replied, promptly. "Founding members of the Rogues."

"Those names actually stuck?" Caitlyn asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Cisco proclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Who the man?" Noticing everyone else was staring at him—and not in a good way—the engineer continued. "Anyway, those three kidnapped me and my brother, forced me to remake the Cold and Heat Guns and a Gold one for Glider, then tortured my brother until I told Snart—Cold I mean, not his sister-Barry's name."

"What, the Rogues know your identity?" Miranda demanded, turning to Barry.

"Only Snart. He hasn't told the others."

"Why not?" Garrus asked. "As soon as anyone had a clue where I was on Omega, every merc and low-life in the area was onto me."

"Leonard Snart is a very . . . clever individual," Dr. Wells said. "He knew Barry would be exceptionally motivated to catch him after what he'd done to Cisco and his brother, so he decided to use his new-found knowledge as blackmail."

"He set some kind of fail-safe," Barry explained. "He gets captured; my identity everyone learns who I am."

"So, you let him go?" Shepard asked. There was a hesitance in her voice.

"What was I supposed to do?" Barry asked. "If people knew who I was—Iris, Joe, my dad, everyone I care about would have a gigantic target painted on their heads!"

"You had no other choice, then," Thane remarked. "This Snart must indeed be a dangerous individual."

"The best I could do was convince him to stop hurting other people himself."

"How'd you do that?" Garrus asked. "If he was as bad as 'Cisco,'" Garrus gestured to the engineer, "said, then I don't think you'd have much luck appealing to his conscience."

Barry smiled. "I didn't. I kicked sand in his face."

"What?" Tali asked. Miranda developed a smile of her own. It was a little more threatening than Barry's.

"You injured his pride," she explained.

"Snart was going on and on about how good he was," Barry said. "I told him that if he really was that good, he wouldn't need to hurt anyone to get what he wanted."

"And that worked?" Tali asked.

"I also promised to throw him in the pipeline regardless of the consequences if he did kill anyone else."

"Nice," Garrus commented.

"A lot of people wondered by the Rogues stopped killing people," Shepard whispered. "A lot of people thought it was just Cold's code of honor."

"Honor is kind of a . . . nebulous thing with him," Caitlyn remarked.

"The thing you should all be taking away from this," Dr. Wells spoke up, "Is that Time, History, whatever you want to call it, is flexible, and there are consequences for tampering with it. Terrible consequences."

"Which means," Miranda concluded, "That we not only have to keep from influencing your personal futures, we have to keep you as in the dark as possible in regards to Humanity's future."

"Whoa," Cisco said. "I am getting such a BTTF vibe." Everyone stared at him. _"Back to the Future?_ Come on!"

"Doc Brown certainly had the right idea when he tore that note up," Wells remarked.

"Yeah, but didn't he put it back together?" Garrus asked. Now, everyone was looking at him. "What? A friend recommended it to me. I'll admit I didn't get a lot of it, but I thought it was pretty good."

"Ok . . ." Tali summed up everyone's feelings exactly. Everyone other than Cisco.

"Well, I think the future looks good," the engineer declared.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Not that I don't appreciate learning that I'm going to be famous, but what are we supposed to do to help you get back home? Especially if we can't learn anything."

"You guys keep secrets all the time," Shepard remarked. "I'm pretty sure you can keep Mass Effect technology under wraps." She ignored the glares Miranda and Wells were giving her for discussing advanced technology.

"We'll work that out later," the glasses-wearer said. "For now, perhaps we should begin formulating a plan."

"There is something else that we need to discuss as well," Thane spoke up. Everyone turned to him. "We originally landed in this time period because we were pursuing a gang of thieves who stole an experimental device."

"A _time-travel _device?" Cisco asked.

"Presumably, yes," the Drell assassin replied. "So far as we know, they arrived in this time as well."

"'So far as you know,'" Cisco repeated. "So, you don't know what happened to them?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse, a man in a blue parka pointed an elaborate gun at a fellow in a jumpsuit. Behind each man stood an impressive group was assembled. Jump-suit's comrades were impressive because of the weaponry they carried, and in some cases, because of their species. The parka-wearer's team was impressive for . . . other reasons. Leonard Snart smiled. "All right. We'll try it your way."

* * *

"The only 'up-side' to this situation," Dr. Wells remarked, "is that Shepard and Lawton seem ignorant of who I really am and what I'm planning." If Shepard had known that he was really the Reverse Flash, she would undoubtedly have shown some reaction. Or, would she? Despite her blatant fan-girl worship of Barry, the Commander hadn't said anything that risked Barry learning anything significant about his own later adventures. "Show me the future, Gideon, The Flash's future."

_"Of course, Dr. Wells." _The A.I. changed the display to the usual newspaper clipping. It seemed unchanged, but Dr. Wells scanned it carefully. Nothing. Nothing had changed. The future remained intact, and so did Wells' plans for it.

_I can't take any chances, though, _the doctor thought. He couldn't kill Shepard or her crew, but he had to have other options. What where they? When Joe West had started digging around into Nora Allen's murder, he had simply donned his Reverse Flash costume and threatened Iris' life—stealing Joe's evidence in the process, of course.

"That won't work," he muttered. Shepard wouldn't be intimidated by him, and she would probably tell Barry. Besides, he couldn't steal her childhood memories and whatever historical data was in the _Normandy 2's_ systems. The only option then, was to ensure the crew left this time as quickly as possible, along with whomever had traveled back with them. "Gideon, do your databanks contain any information on Mass Effect-based time travel?"

_"Yes, Dr. Wells." _The image changed once again. _"Unfortunately, without a Mass Relay, this technology is not a feasible form of time travel." _

"There are ways around that. Bring up my notes on Speed Force-integrated technology." Wells examined it carefully. Up until now, his plans to return to his home time were based around the Particle Accelerator—and developing Barry's abilities to the necessary degree. But now . . . "Gideon, alert me if any of Shepard's crew interact with Barry Allen, or any of our other . . . friends. We're going to be working late tonight."

* * *

**Author's Notes: 8 pages, I hope that makes up for the wait. Honestly, this was the hardest chapter to write thus far. Establishing moments like this are kind of tough to sit through if not done well, and the situation felt SUPER awkward as I was trying to conceptualize it. I'd like to think I got around that but . . . eh.**

**Some of you (those who are as nerdy as I am) are probably thinking back to Episode 7, and remembering the names Wells lists off to Blackout. Honestly, I hate it when shows name-drop characters but don't do anything with them. This was my little "take that!" to the show (P.S. Mal Duncan and Tom Bronson also should have become Justice Leaguers, more victims of Wells/Thawne's screwing with history).  
**

**By the way, Raven is a confirmed member of TNT's Titans show, rechristened _Blackbirds, _for some reason. Still hoping it'll be a crossover with the Arrowverse. On the other hand, apparently, the showrunners want Supergirl to be a separate universe. Don't care, using her anyway. She's going to be important in part three of this trilogy. Yeah, it's a trilogy now.**

**Finally got to introduce the Rogues! And, the space pirates from the opening, bet some of you'd forgotten about them! Question: Is anyone else kind of annoyed with how Leonard Snart is characterized in the show? I don't mean Wentworth Miller's performance; that's AWESOME! I mean the way the show completely junked his traditional code of honor in favor of making him as cold as possible. Yeah, it fits the theme, but I've always had a soft spot for bad guys with redeeming qualities, and the showrunners decided to strip those qualities away from this version of Snart (side note: none of the animated versions of the character have had this quality either). The worst offender is "Rogue Air," where it seemed absolutely pointless, especially when Barry asks Snart why he broke his promise. The way it should have gone is that Snart only promised to protect Barry from the Metas, _not _the rest of Central City. Instead, Snart just acts like a jerk and the character loses a little of his charm, even though he's still my favorite villain on the show (well, maybe second, gotta save some love for Grodd).**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I Live! Wow, this has been too long in coming. I am so, so sorry to everyone I annoyed with the long wait and am deeply appreciative to those of you who are still reading this.**

**Also, it looks like I'll have to make a minor change to the canon of this story (one that doesn't effect anything that's come before, though so who besides me cares?) Having some minor familiarity with _Legends of Tomorrow, _I'm going to have to declare this story to be taking place before all that. I don't think I've made any mention to the show yet, but I just want to clear up any contradictions or questions anyone may have: everything that happens is canon, including Snart and Rory's respective redemptive arcs, but they haven't happened yet in this particular story. OK, we clear? Good.**

**Finally, I'd like to take a chance to advertise for my newest endeavor, _Story Ideas: To a Good Home. _This isn't really a single story, so much as it is a way for me to deal with the fact that I come up with ideas that I love but either don't have the time to write them or don't really know what to do with them. Basically, I'm taking a page from some other authors (Dogbertcarroll and Kamen Rider Chrome come to mind) and posting half-formed ideas for everyone to read, get interested in, and then curse my name for not finishing them. The catch is, as the name implies, I am specifically inviting anyone who's interested to adopt these stories themselves. If you think an idea is cool and (unlike me) you actually have a clue of what to do with it, by all means run with it. Just please drop me a PM or a review or something to let me know so I can follow it.**

**Now, on with the show, before this note becomes longer than the actual chapter.**

* * *

**The Mass Effect and the Speed Force: Volume 1**

**The Brave and the Bold**

**Chapter 5**

"So, you're . . . super fast . . ." Garrus said, making it sound like a question. He was using a blowtorch to fix a hole on the catwalk of the engine room. Not an immediate hazard, but not something that should be left unattended for someone to trip over the next time they were in an emergency. Which, knowing their luck, would be any day now.

"Because you got struck by lightning," Tali finished, analyzing the data the other teams were sending her.

"Actually," Barry corrected, "it was the dark matter infused with the lightning, combined with the chemicals on the shelf I crashed into when the lightning struck me."

"Right," the Turian replied, "because that makes total sense."

Joker's voice broke in. "Guys, the Commander wants us on the bridge. Now."

* * *

"Why does Barry get to work on the engine while I have to run tests from my tablet?" Cisco asked. He was lounging in one of the bridge's swivel chairs, running scans and programs.

"Because Mr. Allen isn't likely to learn anything of significance about Twenty-Second Century technology," Miranda replied.

"I don't know, Barry's pretty smart," Cisco said.

"Mr. Allen is a CSI; you are one of the most brilliant engineers of your time," Miranda countered. "Consider it a compliment."

"Yeah, I guess Barry never could hold a candle to me," Cicso said, leaning back in his chair. Only to fall out of it when his tablet started beeping like an alarm clock. "We've got trouble," he said. "Joker, where's the Commander?"

"Her shift ended five minutes ago," the pilot answered, "she should be in her room. Commander?" he asked into the Comm systems. "Commander?"

"I'm sorry, Joseph," EDI said, "but the Commander cannot answer the Comm unit now. I shall inform her of the situation myself."

"What could she be doing that's keeping her away from the Comms?" Joker asked.

* * *

_"__And I'm there before you know it;_

_I'll be gone before you see me._

_And I'd like to get to know you,_

_But you're talking way too slowly."_

In the cabin's head, the commander was singing her favorite song whilst washing her hair. Singing in the shower was a cliché, but Shepard enjoyed it. At least the water heater still worked.

"Commander Shepard."

"Ah!" The Commander stopped singing. "EDI?" she asked.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but Dr. Ramone requires your presence in the CIC now."

"Uh, right," the Commander replied. "Tell him I'll be up in a few minutes." After a moment, she added "And don't tell anyone I sing in the shower!"

* * *

"What's the crisis?" Shepard asked, as she stepped into the bridge. Although she'd hurried to get dressed, her clothes were perfectly neat as though she'd never taken them off. Her hair was still damp, though.

"I think we found your space-pirates," Cisco explained. On screen was a picture of downtown Central City being torn apart by men with shimmering blue auras. "Is that normal for you guys or . . ."

"It's Biotics, the ability to use Element Zero to create miniature Mass Effect fields," Tali replied.

"It lets you manipulate energy and gravity. Basically space magic," Shepard said, watching the screen as the assembled pirates robbed a jewelry store. "It's a metahuman power that isn't supposed to be developed until next century."

"Typical. Do they have even the slightest conception of the damage this could do to the timeline?" Miranda asked.

"We should move to subdue them before they hurt any bystanders or alter history," Samara stated.

"I'll go pick them up," Barry said.

"I understand that you are a skilled warrior, Mr. Allen," the Asari Justicar said, "but you have never faced a Biotic before."

"No, but I've fought a lot of metahumans," Barry replied. Then he disappeared in a burst of yellow lightning.

_"__Keelah!"_

"I am still not used to that," Garrus said.

"You never get used to it," Cisco replied. "Trust me."

"If he does defeat them," Thane asked, "do we have the capability to hold them?"

"The Brig is still not up to code for the containment of Biotics," EDI answered."

"If the Pipeline could handle Deathbolt and Weather Wizard, it can handle these guys; by the way did anyone else see the floating, talking orb?" Cisco replied.

* * *

"Doesn't matter what century it is," the pirate captain said as he jiggled a handful of rings. "Jewelry always brings a nice price." It was true; the technology in Citadel space was advanced enough to fabricate precious stones and metals, but not cheaply. Actually crafting them into works of art only increased the asking price.

"And best of all: no radioactive tracers to dig out of 'em;" his lieutenant said, coming up behind him. This new man was carrying an assortment of necklaces with large gems.

The captain smiled as he saw the rest of his team raiding nearby stores for valuables. "That's a fine thing, I agree, but the best part is—"

Suddenly, a red and yellow streak raced through the streets. It zipped back and forth, and each time it passed, another man found himself without his ill-gotten gains and instead, handcuffed to a street sign or bike rack.

When the captain's head stopped spinning, he saw that he and his second-in-command had been cuffed to a street light. The same street light, in fact. And before him, stood a man in a red suit with a yellow lightning bolt on the chest.

"Hey, that wasn't so hard," The Flash said, smiling.

"Wanna bet, hero?" the captain asked. Concentrating, he encased himself and his lieutenant in a powerful Biotic field. The two men flew over the lamp post, twenty feet over the lamp post.

"Uh oh," The Flash said as he looked up at the floating, glowing men.

"Heh, heh. Eat Warp!" the lieutenant cried as he threw his own Biotic power at the Scarlet Speedster. The Flash immediately turned and ran; only the edge of the force released caught him as the piece of street where the hero had been standing was torn up. Unfortunately, that was still enough to make him trip, which is pretty unpleasant when you're moving at 200 miles per hour. The hero fell head over heels, landing on his stomach 100 yards away from where he'd started.

"This is the best part," the captain said. "Going down in history as the men who killed The Flash."

* * *

"Guys any advice?" Barry asked into his Comm-link.

"I thought you didn't need help, hotshot," Garrus remarked, "Ouch." Barry guessed someone, probably Tali if he heard that mumbled voice correctly, had punched the Turian in the arm.

"It would take a great deal of power to hold themselves up continuously like that," Samara said.

Barry smiled. "So, wear them out, got it." It was a strategy he'd used a number of times in the past. Barry raced back and forth again, baiting them. The two men continued to throw Biotic attacks at him, but he narrowly avoided them. The pair weren't worried though; as long as they remained aloft, the hero couldn't counterattack. Barry quickly proved them wrong.

Picking up an armload of debris, Barry hurled a barrage of high-speed missiles at the pair. He aimed for the middle to avoid doing excess damage. Thanks to their Biotics, the pirates were able to deflect most of the chucks of pavement away from themselves, but the pieces that got through still hurt. More importantly, it took energy to parry the Scarlet Speedster's attacks.

"You son-of-a—" the lieutenant shouted as he hurled another Warp at the hero. Barry had to push himself to avoid it, but he saw that the pirate had needed more time to charge up for the attack and was now looking much more winded in spite of his frustration.

"Stop using such intense attacks," his captain ordered. "Can't you see he's baiting you?"

"What are we supposed to do?" the man answered.

"We'll have to outfox the speedster," the captain said in reply. "Let's try the Tidal Wave maneuver. Don't let him slip by."

The lieutenant grinned. "'Bout time," said he. The two men charged their Biotics up simultaneously.

Barry stopped running for a moment. "Does anyone know what this is, because it looks bad?"

"I am picking up large amounts of Biotic energy from the pair; they seem to be synchronizing their energies," EDI replied.

"You need to hide yourself, Barry Allen," a (croaking?) male voice said.

"Thane, right? What's going on?" Barry asked the Asari.

"I have seen this technique before; it will allow them to launch a wide-range attack that will—" Whatever the Drell assassin was about to say was cut off as the two pirates launched their attack. A wall of Biotic energy emanated from them; it slammed into Barry like a bulldozer and pushed him back, farther than the first Warp had.

"Ooooh," Barry groaned. He'd landed on his back this time; it didn't matter, because every part of his body hurt. Even fighting Girder hadn't been this bad. The world turned blurry, and sounds were muffled. Vaguely, he was aware that his friends were speaking to him.

"Run, Barry! Run!"

Barry regained his hearing just in time to hear his friends' yelling. Which was just in time for him to realize there was a hundred or more pounds of broken concrete suspended in a Biotic field just above him. A field which then dissipated, dropping the stone on his head.

Barry rolled to the side, as the giant piece of wreckage (did that used to be a sidewalk? He wondered) crashed to the ground. Now that his adrenaline was pumping again, the hero ran up the side of a building and leapt off, trying to punch one of the pirates in the face.

WHAM!

"Ouch," the speedster said, tumbling on the ground again.

"Hahahahahaha!" the lieutenant laughed. "I can't believe he was dumb enough to try that!"

"This technique is a special creation of my own," the Captain said smugly. "This field not only levitates us; with a slight adjustment, it provides a powerful kinetic barrier. I don't doubt that Supergirl could breach it without difficulty, but I'm afraid you don't have the strength. The truth is, you were better off throwing rocks at us: too much sustained effort to bother with. Now, let us end this." With that, he and the lieutenant charged up a second barrage.

"Barry! Do something!" Cisco yelled.

Barry stared at the salvo headed his way. Time slowed as his brain worked a mile a second, analyzing everything, grasping for a strategy, a plan. At this point, he'd settle for an idea. Which is what he got.

The Flash turned and ran.

* * *

"Some hero," Garrus muttered.

"Hm, EDI?" Cisco asked.

"Yes, Mr. Ramon?"

"How far is Barry from the . . . floating . . . pirate guys?" Under his breath, he muttered. "I am so coming up with a better name for these guys."

"Barry Allen is approximately 5.301 miles. And, he is moving again."

"Oh my gosh," Shepard whispered as she saw the red dot on the screen moving at an increasing speed. "He's going to do it."

"Do what?" Garrus asked, a little miffed at being proven wrong.

"The same thing he did to Girder," Cisco announced. "Super-sonic punch, baby."

* * *

Barry skidded to a stop once he'd run the appropriate distance. He knew without being told how far he was from the pirates. One of the side-effects of his powers, one he'd never told the others because outside of situations like this it was useless, was that he'd always had a kind of internal odometer. I.e. Barry always knew just how far he'd run and how much energy he'd built up. It was why, when he fought Girder, he didn't need to ask Cisco where to run to.

The speedster had just run 5.3 miles; he could feel it in his bones, in his blood, in every energy-charged breath. He turned around in the direction he'd just come. The lightning danced in his eyes as his powers instinctively prepared themselves for what he was planning to do.

The Flash ran. He ran straight and true, a red blur with a tail of lightning zipping behind him. The air he displaced became wind that knocked back anything beside him and shattering glass. And then he felt it, the familiar explosion of air as he broke the sound barrier.

He could see them now, the two men hovering in the blue aura. They saw him, but it was too late; they tried to gather their power, to unleash their devastating double attack, but Barry already knew they wouldn't be able to hit him before he . . .

Jumped into the air, practically flying like the blond-haired alien girl in National City. Pulling his hands back, Barry punched forward, delivering a pair of simultaneous, devastating blows to the force-field. The blue energy imploded, and the pirate men were sent sailing backwards and downwards. Barry was too. Unfortunately, his powers didn't protect him from Newton's Third Law (equal and opposite reaction). As he was falling, he retained enough presence of mind to duck his head and roll with his fall to defuse the energy from the fall. Caitlyn could fix him up if he got hurt, which he wasn't . . . Or, at least he was having a better day that the pirates were.

He at least was able to get back up when he fell.

* * *

"That was even cooler than I imagined it," Shepard said.

"OK . . . I'll admit that was sort of impressive," Garrus said.

_"__Keelah,_ he can fly?"

"No, he just gets a running start and then jumps."

"Not to ruin anyone's day, but why are there storm clouds forming very, very rapidly?" Miranda asked. Everyone looked out the window and saw she was right. Gray clouds were swirling in the sky above like a malevolent entity. Lightning flashed within them, releasing low rumbles of thunder, like the rumbling of an awakening beast.

"Aw, no," Shepard said, "There's only one person this could be."

"Mark Mardon," Caitlyn whispered.

"Weather Wizard," Cisco said, just before a bolt of lightning descended from the cloud directly above Barry's prone form.

* * *

Once again, if The Flash's reflexes weren't as fast as his legs, he'd have been fried. As he had with the Biotically-lifted-piece-of-concrete-that-probably-came-from-the-sidewalk, Barry rolled to the side just in time to miss the bolt which struck the spot he had been laying, blackening the Earth and filling the air with the sharp scent of Ozone. This time, however, he didn't have the strength to launch a counter-attack.

"Well, that was a close shave, now wasn't it?" a familiar voice taunted dryly from behind Barry. The speedster turned to see the new arrivals. He gulped at the sight before him.

"Oh," wheezed the pirate captain, from his place on the ground, "did I forget to mention, we've made some new friends?"

* * *

Back in _The Normandy,_ the two teams examined the screen. No one was happy with what they saw. Eight people walking up towards the exhausted hero with obviously hostile intent.

"Captain Cold," Shepard whispered.

"Heatwave," Caitlyn added.

"Golden Glider," Cisco announced.

"Weather Wizard." Shepard again.

"Rainbow Raider." Caitlyn recognized the villain she'd named.

"Deathbolt."

"Captain Boomerang."

"Peak-A-Boo."

Miranda swallowed. "Central City's Rouges Gallery."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I hope that was worth the wait and that you all don't kill me for following that enormous wait up with a huge cliffhanger. Especially because I plan to put off writing a new chapter in favor of cleaning up the previous ones as I'm kind of disappointed with them from a technical point. **

**I would also like to apologize to anyone who was bothered previously by my habit of hyphenating Mordin's lines. Someone (you know who you are) rather bluntly criticized that recently, and I just want to say, yeah, that probably wasn't the best idea I ever had. I knew that when I first started doing it. Here's the problem: it's hard to find a way to visually represent how fast Mordin talks. The only other thing I could think of was tojamallhiswordstogetherlikethis (to jam all his words together like this), and as you may have noticed, that's hard to write let alone read. Alternatively, I could just leave his lines alone and not use any visual flourish, but that feels wrong to, because I'm just saying he talks fast but it looks to the reader like he's speaking normally and what are all his bodies complaining about?**

**If anyone has a solution to this problem, please share, I'd really appreciate it. **

**On a lighter note: I would like to thank my buddy oceanus for suggesting Shepard sing _The Ballad of Barry Allen_ in the shower. Yes, that is a real song, about the Flash (fun fact, it's written and song by the nephew of Carmine Infantino, the artist who designed Barry Allen and drew the Scarlet Speedster and his supporting cast in the Silver Age of comics). It makes sense to me that the song or a variant of it would exist in the future of the world Flash lives in. And, of course Shepard knows it, because the jumping off idea for this story was to make Shepard a Flash fangirl.**


End file.
